The Problem with "Tomorrow"

I have such a love/hate relationship with tomorrow. Tomorrow is a chance to start again, to have your do-over, and another chance to accomplish your dreams. But that "other chance" is where I also find myself not fond of the concept surrounding "tomorrow". Getting another chance, for some, is the perfect excuse for procrastination.

"I'll do it tomorrow."

How many times have you said that, and "tomorrow" turned into the next day, or the next week - or even was forgotten all together? I have been saying I want to clean out my garage for about two years now, and that I'd start "tomorrow". I said that in 2015 - thankfully in January 2018 it's finally happened, but that procrastination wasn't just days - it was years!

Where I see this happen the most is with people who fully anticipate furthering their education, but they put it off and put it off because the "timing just isn't right".  Before they know it they have been out of the education game for ten years and now the "timing isn't right" because it's "too late". (For the record - it is NEVER EVER "too late" to do AN-Y-THING).

I write this experiencing some procrastination of my own. I seem to have found myself in one of those areas of life where you seem to be stuck in some weird purgatory full of lack of direction. You know you want to do something, but you can't exactly pinpoint what that "thing" is.  Personally, I don't necessarily want to rush this decision at all, because then I could end up doing anything just to do SOMETHING, and that certainly isn't what I want. I feel like whatever this little "purgatory party" is leading me to, it's going to be something significant. But how does one not put something off until "tomorrow" if they don't know what that something is yet?

My remedy for this is giving time to each day to think about where I thrived in that day. What made me feel really great, or really accomplished that day? Where do I get the butterflies in life - and by that I mean, what makes me feel truly alive when I am doing it? What makes me feel like what I did held purpose? What interests me? What activities are associated with those things that I can continue to do, or tap into, that can help grow those feelings into something more?

Many of you who are reading this might find yourself in a lack luster job. You don't hate it (or maybe you do), you're grateful that you have it, but as far as being passionate about it - eeeeeh - not so much. It is the passions in life (that we too often ignore) that give us LIFE! It is those passions that we should be taking time each day to explore, and consider, and contemplate how we can do more of those, or find ourselves in situations where we can experience more of them. Passion should never be handed the "tomorrow card", because the more cards it is handed the faster it seems to fade.

If you have a passion, nurture it today - don't push it off until tomorrow. Even if it's five minutes that you can give to it, give it those five minutes. Just like your body and your life, that passion is YOURS - it isn't someone else's'. Stop worrying if it's the right thing to do, what other people may think, or if you will succeed or fail and just enjoy the ride for today.

And then do it all over again tomorrow.

Challenge: Is there something you have been putting off that you know needs to get done? Sound off in the comments below and then check back in once you have taken your first step!

Change is Good - But the Good Can Take Time

Recently, I made a huge change in my life. For about six years of my life I was involved in network marketing. Network marketing was never something I aspired to do - ever. I would often roll my eyes at the Avon or Mary Kay people but that was because I couldn't see the passion behind their product. For me, with Beachbody, I didn't join to "sell things" or "earn side money" - I just really loved the products and thought my friends might love them too. For six years, we all loved them together! Business boomed, relationships were formed and grew, adventures were had!! But at the start of Year 5 something inside of me shifted. It wasn't the business, it was me - and it came out of nowhere.

Just that feeling of the shift scared the living day lights out of me, because I was very "Ra-ra Team Beachbody!" for many years; however, I became sad. I became disheartened. I became stressed out and full of anxiety when things weren't going my way. Pairing that with everything else in life outside of that opportunity, what I really became was exhausted. For six years it was go, go, go in all areas of my life - full steam ahead! It was time to slow down and I had a difficult decision to make: I could stay in my current state, and force trying with the business without much heart (which felt disgusting), or I could let it go and see what happens.

I decided to let it go and see what happens. Immediately upon making that decision the fear set in. Now what was I going to do? What if I lost friends over this? What if this totally changes who I am as a person? What if this isn't what God wants for me? What if this is all wrong?

What it? What if? What if?!

But...what if?

What if this is what I am supposed to do? What if this closing of one door is leading to an opening of another? What if there is something else waiting for me? What if this is intended to make me grow? What if this is what God has had planned all along?

What if??

It has been a battle in my mind the past few weeks between the good what-if's and the bad what-if's, but this is the first week that I just feel very much "so it shall be".  I was thinking about life in general on my drive home yesterday (I get super deep while in my car, haha) and the various scary things that I have been through in my life, and so many of those things included so much change involved with them. Scary changes! And I considered where I was now after having gone through them. In all situations, I am better for having gone through the scary stuff, than if I never went through it all. It has taught me to trust my instinct, to be more confident in myself and my decisions, to be brave, and most importantly to be authentic to who I am and my beliefs.

This rationale didn't happen overnight. With some of the situations, if you could sit back and watch the journey I assure you the downward spirals would leave you on the edge of your seat and asking yourself "Oh my....will she ever recover??" And the answer to that is - it all took time. It all took time, and sometimes even more change that was scary or risky. But without taking these risks and walking forward into change, we will never find the good that awaits us - because good is always there waiting.  Where I think so many people get frustrated is they assume that if they make the change, the good just poof! shows up for the taking. That could not be further from the truth. The good takes time and may even come in very small doses.

Think how this might be relevant to your current situation - perhaps you are on a weight loss journey, maybe battling with addiction or know someone who is, perhaps you are on the job hunt, or maybe you're just trying to "find yourself". Do you not wake up each day with a million questions and hopes? "What does the scale say?" "Will my pants fit?" "What situation will tempt me today? Will I be able to overcome it?" "Will I find a job?" And when you do not receive that instant gratification, do you not get a little frustrated? We all do! And that's why I wanted to write this blog, because while I believe that we all KNOW change takes time, it is too easily forgotten!

If you're going through something, just remember these three things: (1) Change is good, (2) The good takes time, (3) The wait is worth it.

Thanks for reading!